Welcome North Central Correctional Institute and Middlesex House of Correction families

Discovery Museum educators are creating fun, playful experiences for your families to enjoy. You may see new books and activities at North Central Correctional Institute or the Middlesex HOC that your child and their father can enjoy together.

Get a free museum membership for your family

We have free children’s museum memberships to give your family! If you would like a membership to the Discovery Museum in Acton, MA or a children’s museum that is closer to you, please let us know by email to fun [at] discoveryacton.org (fun[at]discoveryacton[dot]org) or a phone call to 978-264-4200 ext. 120 and we will arrange it. The membership will allow your family unlimited free visits to the museum. There are children's museums in Boston, Salem, Easton CT, and more.

What is a children's museum? What is Discovery Museum?

A children's museum is a place where families can play and learn together—and at Discovery Museum, that happens both indoors and outdoors! To learn about Discovery Museum, explore the rest of our website by starting on our homepage or jumping right to our Exhibits page. You might also like to review our Events & Programs calendar for staff-led activities your family might enjoy. 

Getting to Discovery Museum

Discovery Museum is located at 177 Main Street,  Acton, MA. It is 0.4 mile from the South Acton commuter rail station. It is about a 35 minute drive from NCCI and a 28 minute drive from Middlesex HOC. You will find information on how to get here on our Getting Here and Parking webpage.

Why is play important? Play is how people of all ages learn and grow!

Play tip!

Follow their lead: Follow your child’s interest as you play together. Let them choose which toys to play with, which activity to try, or which book to read. Even babies will reach for things that interest them. If your child starts to lose interest in an activity, even after a short time, that’s okay! You can see what fun game or story they want to play with next.

At home play and learning

Find more easy ideas for fun things to do at home—available in 8 languages—on our Discovery at Home page. 

Our Ready To Play video series offers helpful tips and ideas for playing with your child to support learning, deepen connections, and...have fun!

Ready To Play - Ages 0 to 3

Closed captions/subtitles  are available. To turn subtitles on and choose a language other than English, click the Settings gear icon, choose Subtitles/CC (1), then choose English (auto-generated). Click Subtitles/CC (1) English (auto-generated) once again and then click Auto-Translate to select your preferred language from a list. These instructions are for PC computers and may be slightly different on a mobile device.

Ready To Play - Ages 4 to 7

Closed captions/subtitles  are available. To turn subtitles on and choose a language other than English, click the Settings gear icon, choose Subtitles/CC (1), then choose English (auto-generated). Click Subtitles/CC (1) English (auto-generated) once again and then click Auto-Translate to select your preferred language from a list. These instructions are for PC computers and may be slightly different on a mobile device.

Ready To Play - Ages 8 to 13

Closed captions/subtitles  are available. To turn subtitles on and choose a language other than English, click the Settings gear icon, choose Subtitles/CC (1), then choose English (auto-generated). Click Subtitles/CC (1) English (auto-generated) once again and then click Auto-Translate to select your preferred language from a list. These instructions are for PC computers and may be slightly different on a mobile device.